Porsche 911 - The car you've always dreamt about

Auction

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Introduction
Auction System
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AUCTION SYSTEM

Every week, thousands of cars, mostly used but some new, are bought and sold in auction rooms across Japan. The USS Tokyo is the largest auction in Japan and around 10,000 cars are auctioned there almost every Thursday of the year. We have access to most of these auctions; approximately 50,000 cars a week are available! Only a fraction are Porsche 911 though. Especially 911,s over 15 years old, which suits the Canadian and Australian import regulations.

The auction house provides the details for each vehicle. Listed on specification sheets are the manufacturer, year (the Japanese dating system is used), options, mileage, and gradings indicating a cars' condition. Information specific to a vehicle is placed inside each car and later shown on the video screens along with digital images of the cars.

The bidding is done by means of an electronic button. Each press represents 3,000 yen. Up to four cars on four screens in the auction room may be sold at one time so there is definitely a degree of skill required.

The bidding tends to be a skillful and quiet affair. Current owners decide on the opening bid prices. Sometimes, especially when the owners are not present, the prices at which they are willing to sell are preloaded into the auction house's computer system. Otherwise, there is a computer operations room next to the bidding room. From there, the owners could direct the auctioneers to push an "agree to sell" button when and if bidding prices reach a reasonable price.

When the amount hits the point where the owner is willing to sell, a red box lights up on the screen, however, bidding will continue until the person willing to pay most for the car wins. When the red rectangle changes to a green one, the last bid has been made. The car would sell at that price.

At the rear of the room is a special table where auctioneers can arrange for direct negotiations between the owners and potential buyers if the car is passed in below the reserve price. The last person to have bid on an unsold car is designated as the first person to engage in negotiations with the owner.

In our case, we give you all the details of the Porsche 911 and work out your budget. The buyer will then bid on your behalf and hopefully buy the Porsche 911.

Please note we do buy all other makes of cars for export or use in Japan, it is just that 911 is a passion for Tokyo Auto Trading.

JAPANESE GRADING SYSTEM.

The grading system of the cars bought through auction in Japan is conducted by mechanical engineers who put every car under strict scrutiny in assessing its condition before auction. Here is some information about the grading system used in almost all the auctions.

All cars sold at auction are given a grade. This ranges from 1.0 to 5.0, with 5.0 indicating 'as new' condition and 1.0 indicating 'very poor' condition. In reality, condition ratings seen at auction generally range from 3.0 for cars that are pretty rough to 4.5 for something in immaculate condition.

The system of grading varies across Japan but the following table provides a rough guide to the system used. Often interior and exterior condition are graded separately, and sometimes an A, B, C, D system is used for interior grading, with 'A' being the best. Rated '0' cars are those that have been accident damaged and repaired.

EXTERIOR COMMENT	INTERIOR COMMENT
5	As new, immaculate condition
A	No faults
4.5	Very minor paint blemish to one panel
B	Slightly Dirty
4	Minor paint blemishes to two panels
C	Clean but with cigarette burn
3.5	One or two panels affected by paint blemishes, minor work required
D	Dirty Interior
3	Rough all round condition, some work required
2.5	Rough panels all round
2	Some serious paint blemishes
0	Accident damage and repair

Ratings of 4.5 and 5 are basically reserved for cars between 0 and 12 months old with very low kms. For cars over 5 years old you just don't see many grade 4.5 examples because it can take only a minor scratch to mark them down to a 4.0.

Our customers will be provided with the full report on the car including photos, it is then up to them, with guidance from our sales staff and buyers, to make an informed decision on bidding for the car.

ACCIDENT DAMAGE Accident grade cars (or grade 0) can also be very good, providing the damage has been only minor and/or has been repaired to a high standard. The amount of damage can be assessed and a decision made on whether or not the car is worth importing. Even if a car has been involved in a small accident which has been repaired to a high standard - say a minor accident requiring only the replacement of a rear bumper - it is still marked as 0. This car may be in very good condition and worthy of a grade 4 marking, with no evidence of the accident, however it is graded 0, and this will reduce the auction sale price.

The decision on a car like this will be made by the customer on a case by case basis, and in all circumstances the full report on the car is given to our customer so they can make the decision.

Feel free to browse through the current selection of available used cars from this weeks auction. Clicking on the icon below will take you to a page that will allow you to select the make and the model of available cars. Details including description, grade, quality, year etc are available in English. Front and rear photographs are also included.

Find the car you want and give us a call on 090 8773 0907 or drop us an email on motors@gol.com